Ray Bloch Singers: Hits of '69

Another low-budget label cashes in on psychedelia.

Ambassador Records' Hits of '69 with the Ray Bloch Singers is another low-budget ripoff LP that has to leave you wondering what the record executives of the time were thinking. On the outside, we have every attempt to mimic the psychedelic style of groups like Vanilla Fudge or the Greatful Dead. On the inside, we get ten tracks worth of elevator music with that stylistic alternation between deep-male voices and high-female voices that seemed to be all the rage in the "adult contemorary" genre of the time.

I can't imagine who bought this record. Any teenager with an ounce of hipness wouldn't have been able to stomach eight seconds of the Ray Bloch singers or the sappy tunes they picked for this album (Worst That Can Happen, This Magic Moment, Both Sides Now). Yet their parents, for whom the music was apparently intended, certainly weren't about to buy an album with cover art like this. (Maybe the album didn't sell very well at all, and that's why it ended up in the thrift store record bin where I found it).

In any case, I enjoyed both the album cover and the disc, but my taste in music isn't generally something that represents a good investment on the part of record companies. I suppose I should be thankful that there are enough boneheaded albums like this to keep me entertained. Thanks, Ambassador!

Songs:

William
says:
Ray Bloch...... WHY?I just bought a great Ray Bloch 78 with the songs "Deny" and "Don't Believe". Im surprised to hear such crap from such a talented artist. Sad he tried to "keep up with the times". It's like sinatra doing funk, wouldn't work! Oh well... I forgive you Ray, were ever you are!
(03-07-2004)

ceedee
(cduncan@mellowltd.com)
says:
to hear the true genius of Ray you gotta get his Hair cover version album. A truly magnificent version of Let the Sun Shine In.
(11-17-2003)

Peanut Head
(peehead@yahoo.ca)
says:
I have all of Ray's stuff. He lived near me...his real name is Raymond A. Blochhed, but he changed it cause Sullivan kept making fun of it.Ray was a big fan of the Beatles, and we would sit around naked and.....ooops, gotta run..my mommy's calling me
(08-19-2003)

Ken
says:
Kinda sounds like a warped 45 rpm record played at 33 1/3 rpm.
(06-13-2003)

Ray Double
says:
I can't believe it!!!! A buddy of mine's mom gave him this album for Christmas, circa 1970. It totaly sucked then, but today, it still gives me the willies....
(05-30-2003)

jason tinkey
(beppo38@yahoo.co.uk)
says:
i love me some rbs. in fact, i'm working on an article about them for a friend's zine...if anybody can assist me with info for my research, please email me!
(04-23-2003)

jason
says:
the music speaks for itself...whoo...give this man a lot of drugs please...
(03-26-2003)

John
says:
I bought the Ray Bloch Singers' version of Hair at a yard sale for 25 cents. It's so square and deviates from the original cast albulm so much that it's funky. They had their own idea of beat going on there.
(10-29-2002)

Daredevil6
(daredevil6@excite.com)
says:
What James Brown would have sounded like if he'd been born white with no talent. Can someone help me? Please?

(08-09-2002)

Extream
says:
EVEL IS THE MAN!
(07-16-2002)

J.
(thestatement2000@yahoo.com)
says:
It was intersting to see that Ray Bloch and the gang gave it another try lolI actually have the Hits of 1968 w/ that same picture of ed and ray on the back...got it at an estate sale...it has a "mod" looking guy and girl going around town on the cover...and the group takes on such songs as "Green Tambourine", "Mrs. Robinson", "Young Girl", "Hey Jude", "Love Is Blue"...in basically the same lame style as this '69 version
(05-27-2002)

Steve Stuart
(smsstuart@hotmail.com)
says:
It's hard to imagine a better song then Ray's version of Spinning Wheel, but... your ears are in for a real treat and will go all a-twitter when experiencing Ray's interpretation of My Green Tambourine from his 'Hits of '68' album. Oh, don't stop now.
(05-04-2002)

Schraff
(laschraff@hotmail.com)
says:
Dear Goddess, this is the single squarest thing I've ever been subjected to. The musical style makes the lyrics sound so cheap and insincere...
(03-29-2002)

ron
(60spop@pandora.be)
says:
Ok, I like the "sound"... innocent and orchestrated pop... I'd rather listen to this group instead of 1980-2002 CRAP !!!
(03-10-2002)

Ron Burns
(rjburns@spectranet.ca)
says:
I have this album. I am willing to sell to best offerer. I have just about all the albums listed on this site. My contact information is included. It's the way I do business: Ron Burns 550 CHILDS DR MILTON,ONTARIO,CANADA L9T 3P3 1-(905)-876-3245
(08-06-2001)